Jose Alarcon Saurez

A Spanish postwar and contemporary painter, José Alarcón Suárez (d.1886) was known for his female portraits in a classical style. His paintings are mannerist, precise and predominantly follow the legacy of anatomically accurate figurative compositions. Belonging to an era that had already established a legacy of romantic painter Goya and other known Spanish artists, the early 19th century painters were relatively oblivious.

Most importantly, Suarez is contemporary to the renowned french artist Edouard Manet. While Manet was pushing the boundaries of classical portraiture and compositions through iconic representation, Suarez continued to hone his realistic representations. Essentially his oeuvre comprises landscapes, portraiture and composition in oil. Among many qualities of Suarez’s art, his ability to delve into a palpable movement was classic and proved to be a futuristic attribute.

Reputed and well known in the art community over time, Suarez artworks have been offered at several auctions numerous times. Subsequently, the price range of his practice has undergone an exponential rise, which eventually depends on the size and medium of the paintings. In 1998,  Jose Alarcon Saurez’s artwork, Maja, sold at a  record price of $6,112 USD at Christie's in South Kensington.